“We’re going to close the unproductive tax loopholes that allow some of the truly wealthy to avoid paying their fair share. In theory, some of those loopholes were understandable, but in practice they sometimes made it possible for millionaires to pay nothing, while a bus driver was paying ten percent of his salary, and that’s crazy. […] Do you think the millionaire ought to pay more in taxes than the bus driver or less?” - Ronald Reagan

Reagan Called For An End To ‘Crazy’ Tax Loopholes That Let Millionaires Pay Less Than Bus Drivers - ThinkProgress

“Reagan believed that there were constitutional limits on federal power, yet he understood that constitutional arguments wouldn’t resonate with modern Americans, living in a highly mobile society defined by technological and social change. Perry and Paul are offering a federalism rooted in constitutional nostalgia. Reagan offered a federalism that looked to the future.”

Columnist Reihan Salam argues that Reagan did federalism better.  (via thedailyfeed)

(via thedailyfeed)

wisconsinforward:

“Will the Democrats take this as a chance to go on offense?  Will national Democrats take a lesson from Wisconsin Democrats?” —Rachel Maddow.

Outstanding coverage of the FAA shutdown and union rights, plus a look back at Reagan’s firing of air traffic controllers.

“The full consequences of a default — or even the serious prospect of default — by the United States are impossible to predict and awesome to contemplate. Denigration of the full faith and credit of the United States would have substantial effects on the domestic financial markets and the value of the dollar in exchange markets. The Nation can ill afford to allow such a result. The risks, the costs, the disruptions, and the incalculable damage lead me to but one conclusion: the Senate must pass this legislation before the Congress adjourns.”

In 1983, Reagan Warned Of ‘Incalculable Damage’ If Debt Ceiling Wasn’t Raised
High-res “[F]inally a tax plan has emerged that makes more sense than anything anyone in Congress or the White House has proposed in American taxation in my adulthood. It is the Fairness in Taxation Act, introduced in the House of Representatives by Congresswoman Jan Schakowsky, and surely on its way to nowhere legislatively.  It would provide for higher tax bracket for the rich, the truly rich.  Not people making 250,000 dollars a year, not couples making 250,000 dollars a year. It would provide new tax brackets for millionaires, for real millionaires.  For incomes over a million dollars, the new bracket would be 45 percent.  Over 10 million dollars, taxes would go up one percent to 46 percent.  For incomes over 20 million dollars, it would be 47 percent.  For incomes over 100 million dollars, the tax rate would be 48 percent.And the top tax bracket would be for incomes over a billion dollars at 49 percent. Those rates on those 21st century incomes, which we now know to be common in our economy—all of those rates are still lower than the top tax bracket when Ronald Reagan was president.  All of those tax brackets are more than affordable at those income levels.  All of those income levels are now taxed at a maximum of only 35 percent. And everyone who lives at those income levels, employs at great expense, accountants and lawyers who found legal tax avoidance strategies that reduce their real income tax rate to something far below 35 percent.  None of them, not one of them actually pays 35 percent of their income in federal taxation. No one does, not one taxpayer. (…)What every Republican is going to continue to lie about in the face of all the facts to the contrary is that tax cuts will magically increase revenue to the federal government.  With the Bush tax cuts, we now have a ten-year irrefutable proof that that is a lie. But you would have to be born yesterday in our politics to believe or hope that there could ever be a mathematical proof or a set of facts that could ever get Republican presidential candidates, even the smart ones who know better, to stop lying about taxes.” - Lawrence O’Donnell, Watch

“[F]inally a tax plan has emerged that makes more sense than anything anyone in Congress or the White House has proposed in American taxation in my adulthood.

It is the Fairness in Taxation Act, introduced in the House of Representatives by Congresswoman Jan Schakowsky, and surely on its way to nowhere legislatively.  It would provide for higher tax bracket for the rich, the truly rich.  Not people making 250,000 dollars a year, not couples making 250,000 dollars a year.

It would provide new tax brackets for millionaires, for real millionaires.  For incomes over a million dollars, the new bracket would be 45 percent.  Over 10 million dollars, taxes would go up one percent to 46 percent.  For incomes over 20 million dollars, it would be 47 percent.  For incomes over 100 million dollars, the tax rate would be 48 percent.

And the top tax bracket would be for incomes over a billion dollars at 49 percent.

Those rates on those 21st century incomes, which we now know to be common in our economy—all of those rates are still lower than the top tax bracket when Ronald Reagan was president.  All of those tax brackets are more than affordable at those income levels.  All of those income levels are now taxed at a maximum of only 35 percent.

And everyone who lives at those income levels, employs at great expense, accountants and lawyers who found legal tax avoidance strategies that reduce their real income tax rate to something far below 35 percent.  None of them, not one of them actually pays 35 percent of their income in federal taxation.

No one does, not one taxpayer.

(…)

What every Republican is going to continue to lie about in the face of all the facts to the contrary is that tax cuts will magically increase revenue to the federal government.  With the Bush tax cuts, we now have a ten-year irrefutable proof that that is a lie.

But you would have to be born yesterday in our politics to believe or hope that there could ever be a mathematical proof or a set of facts that could ever get Republican presidential candidates, even the smart ones who know better, to stop lying about taxes.” - Lawrence O’Donnell, Watch

[Flash 10 is required to watch video]

Here Ronald Reagan, the Democrat and President of the Screen Actors Guild (1948), addressed the National Ladies Garment Workers Union, urging them to support Hubert H. Humphrey. 

Actually, he was pro unions before he was against them.

(C-Span’s Q&A)

9 P.M. (HBO) REAGAN (2011) This documentary from Eugene Jarecki examines how the homespun political vision of Ronald Reagan affected American life. 

FYI: Stewart and Colbert are repeats all week. : (